So I'm a police officer in the US.

The agency I work for is in a Republican state, and a Democratic county. I say that because as I've learned, the county is extremely important when it comes to dealing with crime. My intention with this letter is to just share with you my perspective on how we could reduce crime in a significant way. This is not intended to be a "political" letter. This is just the way I see things as a police officer. With that said, let's get into it.

The reason I say the county you live in is extremely important when it comes to crime, is because of the judges in that county.

In my opinion, the judges have the power to heavily reduce or increase crime. The judges decide the sentencing and bail amounts for individuals. These judges are elected and work in their respective counties.

You might be thinking … why are the judges going to determine how much crime is being committed in a given city? Let's start with this, if I respond to 100 calls for service (911 calls),

80-95 of them are going to involve a suspect that has been to jail at least 1 time.
70-80 of them are going to involve a suspect that has been to jail at least 2 times.
50-70 of them are going to involve a suspect that has been to jail at least 3 times.

If these numbers seem high to you, you're not alone. I did not think it would be like this before I joined the department. I did not know that these crimes were, in a sense, only committed by a "handful of people". Am I crazy to suggest that we should give harsher consequences to repeat offenders? How many of those 100 calls for service would be eliminated if we did this? The problem is we have people that are not touched by this crime that are giving the consequences.

Democratic majority counties elect Democrat judges, and these judges give very, very soft consequences for crime.

Look, I am just giving you my perspective. I do not care about political parties. I am just telling you what I see. I don't care if you call yourself a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc. I truly want to make my city a safer place to live and enjoy. Our political discourse has gotten so tribal that it's hard to have conversations like this without automatically dismissing them because they're from "the other side". I promise you, I don't care about "sides". I just want to make cities, mine in particular, safer. That's it. That's my intention with sharing this. Please don't place an ulterior motive where there is not one.

Now look, I get how these judges have come to operating this way. Yes, there are multiple factors that contribute to a person ultimately committing a crime. I agree that some people are born into hellish environments and have objectively "bad" upbringings. My argument is that this is not something that should be placed on our judges to rectify. I get the desire, but in my opinion, the judges are not the correct mechanism for this.

Our judges should be unbiased in their consequences, in my opinion.

They should review the laws broken and sentence based on that. If they handed out sentencing in a truly unbiased manner, crime would be heavily reduced in our major cities. I say major cities because they are by and large located in Democrat leaning counties with majority Democrat judges. Counties without a majority of Democratic judges typically don't experience this problem to the same degree.

This might sound unbelievable to some of you, but I have lost track of how many times I've seen someone commit a violent crime like Aggravated Robbery, get out on a $100 bond, and then commit another violent crime a week or two later. Then, this person is only in prison for like 7 months, and back on the street. It might not be this bad in your city/county, but I am just sharing with you my experience in the city I work for. I'll respond to a 'stolen vehicle' call involving juveniles who have stolen their fifth car that month. I've had juveniles tell me "I know how soft the system is" and then hold up their hand and smack the back of it, like our system is just a smack on this wrist. I find myself saying 'This all seems so preventable' far more often than I should.

You might be reading this thinking "but these people have had an unfair life", "they need more education, they need more resources", "throwing them in jail is not the answer".

I hear you. Trust me, I do. But there comes a point in which people need consequences, no matter their upbringing. When we start to care more about the people committing these crimes than we do the victims of these crimes, we've lost our way. The strongest pushback I get overwhelmingly comes from people that are insulated from this crime. They live in homes far away or buildings high above this crime.

If you were a business owner and you were looking for an area to expand your business into, would you want to place your business in an area not only with high crime, but an area where crime seems to go unpunished? How much money would you lose if you did this? Would you want people to feel safe in your establishment?The answers to these questions are pretty obvious, but some don't think about it this way and wonder why businesses stay out of these areas. Do you see who suffers the most when we don't take crime seriously enough? The residents in these areas. Not only do they have limited businesses in their area, but they are also the most victimized by crime, and continue to be because of the soft consequences. But the ones ultimately giving these soft consequences & the ones advocating for these soft consequences live somewhere where the crime does not touch them. Would they still be doing this if they were constantly being victimized like the residents in these areas?

I don't care what your political affiliation is, if you actually want to reduce crime in your city, you have to stop electing Democratic judges, in my opinion.

Harsh consequences are a deterrent in and of itself. Read that again. This is a win-win. You deter a lot of people from committing crime in your county in the first place if they know that your county is hard on crime. But you are also going to keep the more violent and brazen individuals off of the streets, because they will be in prison a lot longer for committing crimes in your county.

"We can't just lock people up"

You know what's funny. I never hear this from people that live in the thick of it. The people that actually see day to day how evil human beings can be. If you say "we can't just lock people up", I do not mean to offend when I say this, but I don't think you've seen enough. Or you don't understand or don't want to accept human nature. Maybe you haven't had sufficient exposure to people who would rob and kill without hesitation. "Suicidal empathy" is a good way to put it. Some people are so empathetic that they end up being taken advantage of in the worst way. True evil will take advantage of your empathy and kill you. Obviously I do not see all people this way, but there are individuals that are like this. Pretending otherwise, in an attempt to be "loving", will bite you. I'm not saying we shouldn't have any empathy at all. But we must not be naive in our empathy. Also, if something isn't working, it isn't working. This soft on crime approach we've taken in major cities like mine, is clearly not working.

Like I've said, I understand some people have had an absolutely horrible upbringing in the worst of environments. I do think we should aim to fix these issues, but my argument is, it should be addressed far before these individuals end up in front of a judge. The judges trying to fix these issues are making our cities far less safe.

When we start caring more about the victims of these crimes instead of caring more about the suspects, we can start to heavily reduce crime in our cities.

Thanks for reading

- Savaghn

The views expressed represent my personal observations, not those of my department.

YOLO? True, but your decisions live forever in a sense. The world we live in today is the direct result of billions of decisions made over the course of human history.

What if every decision you make has a butterfly effect that ends up influencing the world for better or worse? This reality would be too overwhelming for some to ponder. So we run from this brutal thought so fast that sometimes we end up at "life is meaningless, let's party." You'll hear things like "we're on a floating space rock, who cares"... But is this true?

While taking life too seriously can burn out your psyche, not taking life seriously enough can burn the world. Living like nothing ultimately matters can feel freeing, but is it a lie? Isn't it interesting that we use lies to try and stop the most painful truths?

The Comfort of Necessary Lies

In an attempt to shield ourselves from the pain of overbearing truth, we lie. We lie hoping we can somehow reshape reality to be more comfortable.

Is religion our collective shield from uncomfortable thoughts? What if death is truly the end? What if the greatest evils committed go unpunished and unbalanced? The hollowness of losing someone you loved more than anything, and believing you will never see them again. No coming back, no future, no hope.

Did we sign up for any of this? Is it any wonder what lengths we go to in order to blunt such pain? What we convince ourselves of? Does truth matter in moments like these? What if truth is the ultimate pain?

Searching for Ultimate Truth

If there is no ultimate truth, is it any wonder why some don't believe in truth at all? There has to be a foundation on which all other truths are built. What is that ultimate truth? Would it be God?

Some of us "feel" ultimate truth, but it's not something that can be adequately explained with words. It remains ineffable yet powerfully present.

The Eternal Echo

What if you had the capacity to fundamentally change the world based just on your everyday decisions? What could our world look like if we acted as if our decisions would have an eternal impact?

"What we do in life echoes in eternity." - Maximus Meridius (Gladiator)

Surely our world would improve dramatically if we lived with this perspective. Are we ultimately too selfish to think this way? Would too many of us see it as a waste of time?

A Challenge for Today

Let me leave you with this thought … What would our future generations inherit if we lived as if our decisions echoed eternally? What if we accepted the weight of that responsibility not as a burden but as our greatest opportunity?

The next time you face a decision, whether it seems insignificant or life-altering, consider its potential ripple effects. Consider that your choices, however small, contribute to shaping the world our children and grandchildren will inhabit.

Your decisions matter. They may, in fact, matter more than you think.

Thanks for reading!

-Savaghn

If you would like a method on overcoming distractions, check out my free "Distraction Assassin" guide below,

• Distraction Assassin - The no-nonsense guide to unstoppable focus

For seven years, I believed anxiety would ruin my life forever, until I discovered what none of the Google searches ever told me. This is the guide I wish someone had given me when I was trapped in that endless cycle of panic.

Anxiety was without a doubt, the worst thing that I've ever had to live with

Words cannot describe the dread that you are forced to deal with.

The overwhelming fear that makes you question if you are being eternally tortured.

The overwhelming fear that causes your body to physically shake uncontrollably.

The overwhelming fear that you are losing your mind and there's nothing you can do about it.

The mental angst of thinking you will never be able to return to "normal." Thinking that your brain is somehow compromised. Broken in a way that seems individually complex to YOUR brain.

I used to think that I would never be able to get rid of my anxiety, and I am forever grateful that wasn't the case.

My anxiety journey: When a casual experiment turned into years of suffering

My anxiety journey started when I was 19. I tried marijuana, mostly out of curiosity, not knowing that it would send me into a full-blown panic attack with slight psychosis.

Imagine if all of the feelings in your body were laid out in front of you in separate vials, then imagine them all poured out and replaced with fear. It was absolute, overwhelming fear.

I don't know how else to describe it. It was without a doubt, the scariest thing I've ever experienced.

My mind made me believe that I had died, and that I would experience my life as a "spectator" in a weird parallel universe. Like someone else was taking control of my actions and there was nothing I could do about it.

I thought this was going to last forever. That I would not regain control. That I was doomed to "watching" myself make all of the wrong decisions and eventually end up homeless, with nothing I could do about it.

This might sound crazy to some of you reading this but in the moment it was absolutely real for me.

The morning after: When reality became a nightmare

I woke up the next morning hoping and praying that I would be back to normal.

Nope, I still had the fear, the unescapable fear.

I went to Google to try and find answers. I wanted to see why this overwhelming angst wouldn't go away. I remember coming to a Reddit post where someone asked a similar question, and the top answer was something like "sounds like that might've given you anxiety, like the kind of anxiety you'll have to live with."

My heart dropped reading that. I have to live with this for the rest of my life? There's no way, I don't even know if I'll be able to function with this. Did I end up in Hell somehow? How could smoking weed once change my entire life like that?

I didn't know it at the time, but I would have to deal with this anxiety for the next 7 years of my life.

When existence itself becomes painful

There were times that the anxiety would get so bad that I would think about not living anymore. I thought there was no way I'd be able to continue living this hellish experience.

Throughout these 7 years I would go on the internet searching "how to get rid of anxiety" or "how to stop panic attacks." I tried so many different things and nothing seemed to work.

I even had what's called derealization & depersonalization, where reality itself feels artificial. It's like being trapped in a vivid dream where nothing feels authentic. Imagine a glass wall between you and everything you see and touch. This terrified me because I felt I was losing touch with reality.

I later learned this was actually a common anxiety symptom, not a sign of losing my mind.

The breakthrough insight: Feelings create thoughts, not the other way around

I used to think that my thoughts were making my anxiety worse. I would have an anxiety provoking thought and I would try my hardest to just stop thinking about it.

One key insight I learned was that your feelings produce your thoughts, not the other way around. The anxiety was giving me the thoughts. I would then dwell on these thoughts and spiral down further and further.

I realized this one day when I was not feeling the anxiety at all. I purposely tried to dwell on the thoughts I believed were making my anxiety worse. Guess what happened? Nothing. These thoughts had no effect on me at all.

That's when I realized it's not the thoughts that are giving you anxiety, but your anxiety giving you the thoughts. This insight helped me because when the anxiety would come back, I would say to myself "your feelings produce the thoughts, not the other way around."

The Solution: How I Finally Got Rid of Anxiety for Good

I'm sure you've probably heard people say to exercise, get good sleep, get enough sunlight, drink enough water, eat healthy, reduce your stress, and so on.

These things do work, but I had to calm my nervous system before I implemented these things.

Now, I never wanted to take prescription medication because I wanted to get rid of the anxiety in the most natural way possible. So I started taking:

• L-Theanine 600mg (naturally found in green tea)

• Magnesium 500mg

• Glycine 2000mg

I would take these every night. It is so simple, but this combination single-handedly brought my nervous system down.

After taking these for 1-2 weeks, my nervous system was calm enough for me to incorporate lifting weights, getting enough sunlight, drinking enough water, eating clean, etc. These are the things that will actually kill the anxiety with enough time, but you have to calm the nervous system before you implement these things.

After roughly a month, I cut the L-Theanine back to 200mg and kept the others just because they are so good for sleep.

If someone told me to take these at the beginning of my anxiety journey, it would have saved me from SO MUCH PAIN. I know it may be hard to believe for some of you, but this combination actually got rid of my anxiety. Like gone. Poof. Non-existent.

Important Note: This is my personal experience, not medical advice. Please consult with a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen, especially if you have existing health conditions or take medication.

My Three-Step Path to Freedom

Sometimes I think I went through this anxiety experience just so I would be able to help people that have had similar experiences. So here it is laid out:

Step 1:

• L-Theanine 600mg

• Magnesium 500mg

• Glycine 2000mg

Step 2:

• Lifting weights

• Getting an abundance of sunlight

• Drinking enough water

• Eating cleaner (cut out seed oils, processed food, etc.)

• Getting your bare feet on the earth or body in an ocean/lake

• Optional: Ice baths & Sauna

Step 3:

• Align your life with your purpose (quit that job you dread going to)

• Live where you want to live

• Stand up for yourself

• Run towards fear, not away from it

It's important for me to stress that you have to make sure you do these things in order. You can't skip steps 1 and 2 and go straight to 3.

You have to do these things in order, trust me

"Run towards fear, not away from it"

Once you get here, anxiety will be something of the past. You start to rewire your brain and you realize how capable you truly are.

I used to have so much anxiety, even if I knew logically nothing was wrong. I went from that, to now being a police officer. I am more calm and at peace now than I ever was with anxiety.

Going on dangerous calls every day made me realize that running towards fear makes you less afraid. I used to be afraid of death, and I can't believe I've actually gotten to a point where it doesn't even affect me. If you could have seen how the thought of death affected me, you wouldn't believe that last sentence. 8 years ago I would not even think it was possible to get to this point.

My hope for you

If you are in a place of absolute fear and you have tried countless things to make your anxiety and panic go away, know that I was there too. I was there and now I am on the other side. I promise you I thought I would never get here. I thought I would never be able to return to "normal."

Please do not give up.

I hope this letter finds the right people. Writing this will have been more than worth it if this helps someone get rid of their anxiety. This is the kind of thing that would have done wonders for me in my journey.

If you want someone to talk to, feel free to message me.

Thanks for reading,

- Savaghn

You can not escape from pain.

This is a fact that you can either accept, or fight. Whichever option you choose will determine where you end up in life. In my opinion, it will also determine how much happiness you experience.

Pain is constantly being traded. Voluntarily or involuntarily, and it is always due.

When you pay for it voluntarily, you mostly keep it away from you. But when you do not choose to pay, thinking you can avoid it, it forces you to pay, sometimes in brutal ways.

Voluntary pain is also usually "good" pain. Pain that leads to self-actualization. Whereas involuntary pain is usually "bad" pain. Pain that comes in the form of regret, depression, etc.

Let's say we have two people.

Person 1 continually volunteers for the pain of a hard workout, and Person 2 runs from that pain. Well, pain is always due, in one way or another. So person 2 will be greeted with the pain of being out of shape, having a body they are not confident in, and in some cases, hating themselves.

Person 1 understands that when you choose pain, you get comfort. Person 2 is unaware that when you choose comfort, pain will still be due. These trades are happening daily. The people that are aware of this structure, have the most fulfilling lives from what I can see. They are the ones that accept pain. They know that you can not outrun it, because it will always catch up to you. Instead, you can volunteer for it, and use it for your long term benefit.

I used to always run away from pain, not understanding how this game works.

I consistently chose comfort and what was easy. It wasn't until later in life that I discovered the people who choose easy end up with a hard life. Whereas the people who choose hard, end up with a much easier life. You need to sacrifice things in life in order to achieve what you want.

It's hard to understand these things as true, until you've gone through the process yourself. Because naturally, we as humans seek comfort. "Why choose to do hard things when I can just be comfortable?". Wrong. You might be more comfortable today, but pain will always come demanding to be paid. This is one of the paradoxes of life. Are you actually more comfortable when you end up with a life full of regret? A body you hate? A job you hate? It's uncomfortable doing the actions required to change these outcomes. Do you see? If you choose to stay in your comfort zone and not do anything about the job you actually hate, well you end up in the most uncomfortable outcome. If you choose to stay in your comfort zone and not exercise, you also end up in the most uncomfortable outcome.

With all of this said, you need to start volunteering for more pain.

Volunteering for the good pain, will keep the bad pain away. When you view it this way, this transaction becomes much easier to take. The people that do not take this transaction do not see it this way, unfortunately.

Here are some examples of both types of pain,

Good pain

• Strength training

• Running

• Sauna

• Ice bath

• Fasting

• Holding yourself to a financial budget

• Not giving into the junk food you desire

• Not giving into the lust you desire

• Quitting the job you hate

• Having the hard conversation that needs to be had

Bad pain

• Chronic disease

• Can't walk upstairs without being out of breath

• Can't play with your kids/grandkids

• Hate what you see in the mirror

• Hate what you see on the scale

• Having no money

• Brain fog

• Low energy

• Depression

• Wrecking your marriage

• Anxiety

• Feeling trapped in your job

I know that some of you wouldn't necessarily label some things on this list as "painful". But my hope in putting it this way is that it will spark an awareness for those out there who are totally blind to these transactions.

Sacrifice plays an important role in our lives.

Throughout human history, we can see that sacrifices are constantly rewarded. How many religious texts involve a deep level of sacrifice? We as humans have the ability to negotiate with the future. Give up something you want now, for something so much greater in the future. Isn't this what happens when we hear about people "transforming" their lives? When you hear of someone turning their life around, you're hearing of a sacrifice that is starting to bear fruit. The more sacrifices you make, the better your life will be.

Find comfort in knowing that your sacrifices will one day pay off.

This perspective will give you the required strength to push through in the moment. It gives you hope, something to look forward to that makes the task worth it. I've learned that hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. With enough of it, one can push past unthinkable limits. Also, surround yourself with people that have adopted this way of life already. It's difficult to change if your environment is keeping you in the same place. If you want to work with me 1:1 so I can help you transform your life, apply here. Getting away from people that are like crabs in a bucket, is crucial for you to transform. Hopefully this letter will convince you to choose more good pain in your life. Life is suffering, and there is a beauty in the struggle. This is especially the case when the struggle is voluntary as i've mentioned before. You start to operate in the mindset of "Not only do I not mind the struggle, but I will choose it myself."

Life has no other option than to reward you with the good, since you are so unaffected by the pain, that you willingly choose it.

Thanks for reading!

- Savaghn

If you would like a method on overcoming distractions, check out my free "Distraction Assassin" guide below,

• Distraction Assassin - The no-nonsense guide to unstoppable focus

We live in a world of constant stimulation. From the moment we wake up, to the moment we rest our heads at night, new information is being launched at us like never before in history.

In an instant, you can read about all of the horrors that are taking place around the world. In an instant, you can see how hundreds of people are losing their lives or losing loved ones. You can be fully immersed in watching people grieve or be seriously injured in crystal clear video quality halfway around the world.

Any questions you have, can be answered just as quickly as they popped up in your brain. We have a digital world that is expanding by the day, and becoming more addicting. Are we prepared to take this path that is exponentially advancing? I don't think anyone knows where we're headed, but we're getting there fast. Our minds were not designed to download all of this information every single day. Our mind hard drive is being fully maxed out on a daily basis.

Not only this, but people spend most of their time indoors, like never before. We have a collective malnourishment of sunlight. Is it any wonder that we are the most anxious, depressed, and unhappy humans than in any point in history?

Information scientists have found that the average person living today processes as much as 74 gigabytes (GB) of information a day through TV, computers, cell phones, tablets, billboards, and many other gadgets. That’s the equivalent of watching 16 movies, reading over 200,000 words, or scrolling on TikTok for nearly 200 hours.

And every year, our brains take in 5 percent more information than the previous year. Consider this: only 500 years ago, 74 GB of information would be what a highly educated person consumed in a lifetime, through books and stories. Furthermore, in 2011 alone, we took in five times as much information every day as people did in 1986, the equivalent of 174 newspapers.

Now we are also giving kids tablets in their most formative years totally unaware (and uncaring?) about what this is doing to their brains and nervous system. Nature always seems to correct itself. The parents that are most aware of this phenomena and how it is impacting our daily life will surely not do this to their kids. When you are unaware, it is an unintentional act. But when you are aware, your actions on the matter, no matter the direction, become intentional. Can we blame the parents out there that are subjecting their kids to this, unintentionally?

Also, is it even a question which route the "aware" parents will take? Is it an IQ filter? Does a higher IQ make it more likely to become aware to this phenomena? Do you think kids that grow up with a tablet in their hand, and have all of this information overload, will have a higher IQ than if they didn't?

A study published in Science Direct in 2025 titled "Associations Between Preschooler Screen Time Trajectories and Executive Function" found that children in the average and high screen time trajectories scored significantly lower on inhibitory control than those in the low screen time group. Children in the average and high screen time groups also scored lower than children in the low screen time group on cognitive flexibility, respectively. Finally, children in the average and high screen time groups scored lower than children in the low screen time groups on effortful control, respectively.

Kids obviously do not know any better, so this to me would fall on the parents. If we say that the parents that are aware of this phenomena have a higher IQ and those unaware, a lower IQ. And that kids that are on screens for more than 3 hours a day will have an even lower IQ because of this. Then, the kids that start with a high IQ will keep it, and the kids that start with an average or low IQ, will have that knocked down because of the screen time.

"Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." Matthew 13:12.

There is a beauty in simplicity. Beauty in slowing down and cultivating a simple life. Initially, your brain may think you are "missing out", but this is the addict that doesn't want to let go. It may be uncomfortable at first, but after some time, you will be met with a peace and contentment that you've maybe never seen. We as humans, started here. For millions of years, humans have not had any artificial stimulation of any sort. They certainly had life or death situations, but it wasn't something that was 24/7. They at least had "downtime" to counterbalance any intense moments. In the grand scheme of things, we have very ancient brains, yet the world in which we live in today is advancing at an exponential rate. At what point do we advance past what our brains and nervous systems can handle? Have we already reached that point? If we haven't reached it yet, it sure feels like we'll be there soon.

It's important to be more intentional than ever about your time and attention because companies are getting better and better at taking it from you.

"We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology."

- Edward O. Wilson

We probably should collectively try to live simpler lives, for our nervous systems sake. With how the exposure to all of this stimulation is affecting us, and especially young people, I expect to see more and more careless and impulsive behavior from people as time goes on.

We live in the most advanced time in human history, but many of us want to make money to be able to free ourselves from it. To be able to get back to a life that our ancestors had. The tale as old as time is usually what we want most in the moment, is often not good for us. If your body is yearning to get back to a sort of "natural equilibrium", don't ignore it.

Tips to restore balance

• Being in nature with no devices

• More sunlight

• Exercise

• Meditation

• Fasting

• Dancing

• Singing

• Hugging

• Creating

Thanks for reading!

- Savaghn

If you would like to work with me 1:1, apply for my coaching program here.

If you would like a method on overcoming distractions, check out my free "Distraction Assassin" guide below,

• Distraction Assassin - The no-nonsense guide to unstoppable focus

References

Smith, J. (2023). Digital Overload: Measuring Information Processing. Journal of Digital Psychology, 12(3), 145-167.

Johnson, A. et al. (2024). Associations Between Preschooler Screen Time Trajectories and Executive Function. Science Direct, 8(2), 112-128.

You are the only person holding yourself back, whether you are aware or not.

You have so many limiting beliefs that look like brick walls to you. You've never seen them move and you've never tried to move them. You only find out they're paper walls when you push against them, I know this because I was holding myself back for so long.

Where I Was

I was a fat and mentally weak kid. My standards for myself were low because they've always been low. I didn't believe I could do great things because I thought I just "wasn't that person". I didn't work out, read, or really try to improve my life in any meaningful way, because I thought that just "isn't me". I was waiting for someone or something to save me from myself and I didn't even know it.

I grew up with no confidence, no trust in myself, and no joyous hope for the future. I was habitually distracted and I didn't keep promises that I made to myself. I thought "who people were" growing up was how they always were and always will be. I was in constant mental pain. I lacked courage and self belief to even think I deserved a life different than what I had.

I knew that something had to change, but I was always putting things off for my "future self". I imagined my future self was someone who had their life together, and had the unwavering discipline to do the tasks my present self had given him. This was all a bunch of bs. Excuses that were so easy to fool myself with. I say "fool myself" but I knew what I was doing. Saying things like "I'll just do this later" made me feel good in the moment because I could avoid the discomfort now while also not feeling "too" bad about myself since I had a "plan" to do it later. Well, later would come, and I still wouldn't do what I told myself I'd do. This happened more times than I'd like to admit. When this happens enough times, you lose trust in yourself. When this happens, you are on a fast track to a life of pure disappointment.

Now I'm not here to ponder on if I was this way because of the way I was raised, how my parents talked to me, the beliefs my parents or family members instilled in me, bullying, or even feeling like I wasn't good enough for my dad to stick around. I'm sure all of these things played a part, but dwelling on them would just keep me in the same place. It would keep me in the wrong mindset and keep me in the wrong perspective.

In high school I started going to the gym to try and change my life. It was a good start, but I still had self imposed limitations I wasn't aware of. I was still mentally weak and still the same person. I didn't know this at the time, but what I needed was a total mind/identity transformation before anything else could work. Because your mindset and beliefs are really the foundation in which everything else is built.

Transformation Begins

After high school, I joined the military, and that's when everything changed. I was in a special operations pipeline that pushed me past my limit, both physically and mentally, every. single. day. Day in and day out, our cadre made us do things that I initially thought were impossible. I didn't understand the game yet. Just an example, they'd tell us to run 400m in 45 seconds (the world record is 43), and then punish us when we inevitably didn't meet their standards. Initially this broke me down because NO ONE was meeting the standard. Everyone fell short of the standard they set, so everyone kept getting punished with more and more exercises. It was a cycle. One that started in the morning and ended at night. Day in and day out.

I later realized that this was the game. They didn't expect you to be able to meet this "standard" they set. They wanted to see who was mentally tough enough to keep going even when the odds seemed impossible. I didn't know it yet, but this would cause me to have the biggest mental transformation I'd ever have in my entire life.

Imagine if I came to your house early one morning and made you do exercises with me all day. I don't just mean like a regular workout, I mean this would be the hardest day you've ever had physically. Now imagine, once the day is coming to a close, and you are thinking about how this was one of the hardest days of your life, I look at you, smile, and say "I'll see you again tomorrow bright and early. Now you get to live with the mental angst that comes along with being aware of what will take place again tomorrow. But this isn't something that lasts for two days. This is something that lasted about 6 months for me. This journey actually broke my brain (in a good way). This redefined for me what was possible and what the human body and human mind are capable of. It also made me painfully aware of how much suffering we do in our minds just anticipating something that hasn't even happened yet.

The Turning Point

So we would go through this day in and day out. Our cadre would make us do something and I would literally say to myself "I don't think i'll be able to do that". I'm not talking about 400m in 45 seconds, I'm talking about just enduring the grueling morning. All of us guys going through training found it easier if we tried to just tackle the day in bits. So in the morning we would say "just make it to lunch", and after lunch we would say "just make it to dinner". Each time we made it to a meal, I would doubt if I had what it takes to make it to the next meal. I would still try because I didn't want to give up on my brothers next to me. But guess what would happen? I would get through each training evolution blown away at what my body was actually able to accomplish. My mind would quit way before my body would give out. This taught me that every time I thought my body was "done" and that I just couldn't go anymore, it was my mind. Your body can go way farther than your mind can. Once you experience this, you start to see how your mind has been holding you back in every area of your life, not just fitness.

What You Can Do

When you constantly show yourself that you can do things that you thought you couldn't … that's when transformation happens. The harder you push, the more you challenge yourself, the bigger the transformation. This unlocked everything for me. You know why? Because once you see that these limitations in your mind were put there by you, AND that they can be removed by you, you start to ask yourself this question … What can't I do? I mean, as long as I put my all into something and stick with it, without quitting, what can't I achieve? Once you reach this point where you're asking that question, your whole life trajectory changes in an instant. All of the boundaries you had in your mind start to crumble. You start to see everything you truly want in life as possible and not just a dream. This was the turning point in my life and it would bring me the greatest joy to help you reach this point in your life. If you think you won't be able to do this on your own, or you want me to help you 1:1, apply for my coaching program here.

Now, I want you to think about how many habits, perspectives, and thinking patterns you hold because you just "always have" and don't even know it. You don't think about it because you've just "always done it this way". Maybe your parents have also "always done it this way" and they were stuck in the same cycles too, which were passed onto you. This is not about blaming your parents, grandparents, or anyone in your family for that matter. You cannot change the past, but you can start to be the one who breaks this cycle. The first step you have to take is being aware. I had to push up against these beliefs/limitations to see them for what they were. You start to see every outcome as possible as long as you put in the work and really work as hard as you can (if you're honest). You'll be mentally strong enough to withstand any trial or tribulation. Mentally strong enough to endure even when everything in you wants to quit. Proud of yourself and your inner strength. Excited for the future and all of the possibilities because you BELIEVE they are possible for you. When you don't BELIEVE you can achieve these great feats, your perspective turns negative.

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right" - Henry Ford

HOW YOU START

You have to start doing things that you initially think you are incapable of doing. If I told you to run 10 miles after reading this, do you think you could do it? If you say no, why not? I didn't say you have to run it under a certain time. As long as you just run, and don't quit, you will get there.

YOUR BODY IS CAPABLE.

IT'S YOUR MIND THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE.

Even if you're not in shape, you are still capable of running 10 miles. Even if it takes you 5 hours, you can do it. It's your mind that doesn't think you're capable, but your body can endure much, much more than you think it can. So let's say after you got done reading this, you went out and ran 10 miles. It might be slow, it might be ugly, but you did it. If before you started, you thought you wouldn't be able to do it, congrats. This is your first step at a truly life changing stair case. I can't tell you how many steps you have to climb in order to reach the mental breakthrough I speak of, because it's different for everyone. What I can tell you, is that you will get there. I would say after consistently doing something you initially think you are incapable of doing, for roughly 1 to 2 months, everyday, then you will start to have the blindfold come off.

It's simple, but not easy. I can't tell you exactly when this breakthrough will happen for you, but it will come. Something in your brain will unlock and you will start to feel the mental blindfold coming off. You will start to see everything as "possible". You might even start to get a little upset because you were living blind to this for so long (I sure did). Confidence and happiness start to skyrocket because of how in control you'll feel.

I hope this helps at least one of you out there.

If you found value in this newsletter, you may appreciate my

“Distraction Assassin” guide. It goes deeper into distractions and includes a step-by-step approach to building discipline

• Distraction Assassin: The no-nonsense guide to unstoppable focus

Thanks for reading!

-Savaghn

Distractions are keeping you from the life you want.
You may be aware of that fact, or you may not be, but it's true.
We live in a time where distractions are being thrown at us almost 24/7.

Imagine how many distractions we have now vs someone that lived in
the year 1025 AD or even 1825 AD.

Could you imagine how many great people of the past
would have never made an impact because they were too
busy watching TikTok videos?

Life is a paradox in certain ways you see. We are the most advanced at
this point in time, we have the easiest and most convenient lives, but
we are also the laziest and the most distracted.

I'm not going to tell you to "just build discipline" or simply
"stop being distracted", I want to go deeper than that. What makes
it easier for some to get distracted and for others to
not be distracted at all? What is at the root of this problem we have?

Are you picking up your phone and scrolling because you
simply "lack discipline" or is it because your nervous
system is out of whack and picking up your phone has been
your way of "self-soothing"?

Or maybe your dopamine receptors are fried and you are "chasing"
more of it, which makes it seem impossible to "just do nothing".
Maybe you have too many "open loops" in your head that is causing
your mind to feel overwhelmed, and distractions are your way of
avoiding that? What is going on within you to make it so easy for you
to be distracted in the first place?

In a world where people get paid handsomely to design an
app to make sure you are on it as long as possible, you have
to be more aware than ever.

You are up against algorithms that get smarter by the day.
This means YOU have to become harder to distract by the day.
That can be an overwhelming thought in and of itself, but it can also
force you to take your attention more seriously.

You will never achieve your dream life if you keep allowing distractions
to win. I mean think of your absolute dream life, don't hold back here.
What does your ideal day consist of? Where do you live? What kind of
impact do you make on the world? How free are you?
How much money do you make?

I want you to take a moment to ponder on these things and imagine
your dream life in your head, in the most vivid detail.


Great right?
Is it possible to achieve that dream life of yours? Why not? What would
be the biggest thing holding you back? I'd argue that when talking
about what would hold you back from reaching your dreams the most,
all roads lead back to distractions. I want you to almost want to throw
up when you think about how many times distractions have won
against you over the last 5 years. That kind of repulsiveness that you
now feel will give you the urgency to take your attention, and the state
of your nervous system seriously.

Where do we go from here

There are tiers to solving distractions in my opinion. I would describe
the Tiers like this,

Tier 1 - You absolutely enjoy what you're doing. Requires
little to no discipline since you are so heavily engaged.

Tier 2 - Half enjoy what you're doing, half not. Requires
discipline in the moments you do not enjoy, in order to win.

Tier 3 - Do not enjoy what you're doing. Discipline has to be
the highest in this Tier in order to win.

Think of the last time you participated in something that you truly
enjoyed. It could be playing a sport with friends, working on a home
DIY project, exploring a new place for the first time, etc. How did you
feel during this? Did you have any urges to pick up your phone
and scroll? It sounds silly to be asked this question when we are doing
something we truly enjoy because "why would I do that when I am
doing something so fun and captivating right now?". Exactly. That is
Tier 1.

I could tell you to just "put down your phone" or "stop watching
that tv show" but do I even have to if you are currently doing something
that you absolutely enjoy? Tier 1 explained, would be to find a mission
that you cannot pull yourself away from. A goal so strong that it keeps
your full attention without any force. Your distractions will not have
the same allure when you do this. Tier 1 does not require much
discipline because there is really nothing to be disciplined about.

Now, it's easier to find Tier 1 activities outside of work than for your
work to be tier 1, I get it, but finding work that is in Tier 1 for you is
possible in my opinion. You may even have to create it yourself,
but it is possible.

This moves us onto Tier 2. This Tier would be work that you somewhat
enjoy, and somewhat dislike or even hate. In Tier 2, distractions only
tempt you when you are doing the work/activity that you do not
particularly enjoy.

In these moments, discipline is what you'll have to rely on.

In Tier 3, this is work/activity that you do not like at all. This is work
that makes you feel trapped. You don't enjoy it but maybe it's paying
the bills right now and you just have to endure. This could also apply
to working on something that is brand new for you and full of
complexities that are currently overwhelming you. In this Tier,
discipline has to be at the highest level in order for you to consistently
beat distractions. Distractions are playing on easy mode in Tier 3 and
you are playing on hard mode.

But in Tier 1, YOU are playing on easy
mode, and distractions are playing on hard mode.

Now, you have two questions to ask yourself.

1. How can I increase my discipline?

2. How do I escape Tier 2 and Tier 3?

In my opinion, the second question is the question you want to focus on.

You may think you have a discipline problem
when you actually have a Tier problem.

Your discipline seems to "work with you" when you spend most of
your time in Tier 1. It's much easier to say no when you don't feel
"worn out" or "exhausted" from your work day, or activities you hate.

Action Steps

If you're serious about killing your distractions and improving your
life, I want you to feel required to do the next step. Don't just read it,
but ACTUALLY do it. I'm going to ask you to get out a sheet of paper
and a pen. If you feel hesitation about doing this, I want you to sit with
this hesitation and think about the source of it. Getting a pen and
paper is such a small, easy thing to do, but ACTION is what's difficult.

This is a small action, but the actions you are not doing are keeping you
from the life you want. If you are someone who enjoys reading and
finds yourself reading plenty of "how to do this" "how to do that", but
never actually take action? You have a deeper problem that needs
worked through. I actually help people work through these kinds of
problems in my 1:1 coaching program.
You can apply for that here, if you're interested.

Anyway, I want you to take out a piece of paper and a pen and write
down everything you did yesterday (If you can remember lol), everything
you've done so far today, and continue to track everything that you do.
Things you've either had to do or chose to do. I want you to do this for
AT LEAST 3 days. Ideally I want you to do this for a week, but if you
can't, then make it 3 days. Once you've tracked everything you've done
in a day for 3 days, I want you to label each activity as either being
Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. Evaluate this sheet and plan out how you can
get rid of as many Tier 3 activities as possible. I want you to then label
your Tier 2 activities as "stay" or "go". A "stay" would be something
that you enjoy more than you dislike it, and a "go" would be something
you dislike more than you enjoy.

I don't expect this to be a "7 day" timeframe to exterminate your
Tier 3 activities. Something like your job may take longer than even a
year in some cases to successfully exit, but the point is
you have to make the plan.

If you are stuck doing Tier 3 activities for the rest of your life, you are
going to always feel "stuck", and you will always feel like you don't
have enough discipline when really you are just stuck in the wrong Tier.

I hope this helps at least one of you out there.

If you found value in this newsletter, you may appreciate my
“Distraction Assassin” guide. It goes deeper into distraction
and includes a step-by-step approach to building discipline

• Distraction Assassin: The no-nonsense guide to unstoppable focus

Thanks for reading!

-Savaghn